Cinnamon Rolls and Collard Greens as Self Care

So you probably know by now that I am a fan of self-care. Yay, self-care! Self-care can take many different forms and may vary from person to person. Generally it involves any way we choose to improve our health and well-being, on our own, on a regular basis. Self-care can include the foods we eat, physical activity, social activity, learning new things, using tools such as massage, acupuncture and yoga and many other wonderful choices and practices. Self-care includes things that make us happy and improve the quality of our life and our well-being.

One of the things I try to include in my every day self-care (besides my Maya self-care massage) is eating well and eating foods that I love. You can have both. I believe (and I don’t think it’s just wishful thinking) that you can boost your well-being by really enjoying and savoring something like a cinnamon roll, and you can often adjust a recipe so that it’s a fairly healthy choice as well. Some foods are self-care because they are nostalgic and involve happy memories. My self-care foods include a variety of things from dark chocolate and cinnamon rolls to sweet potatoes, beets with goat cheese, berries, and my new favorite - collard greens.

Yes, you heard me, collard greens.

This is a fast, easy, delicious and healthy way to prepare collard greens. Even my kids love collard greens made this way. On some days, when I haven’t managed to get as many vegetables or fruits as I want, a heaping serving of these greens makes me feel a whole lot better. I actually crave them sometimes they are so yummy. In fact, I made them just last night. I have leftovers, and I’m going to eat them right after I finish this.

Easy Collard Greens

You will need:One or two bunches of collard greensFive to ten garlic cloves, mincedA few tablespoons of olive oilSalt and pepper

Wash and dry the collard greens. Cut out the stems in the center by running a knife down each side. Take the half leaves and stack them on top of each other until you have about ten leaves. Roll them into a cigar shape (the long way). Cut across the roll, with each cut about 1/8” from the last so eventually you end up with ribbon like strands. Heat the olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic just starts to brown. Then add your collard greens and keep stirring over low heat. The collard greens will reduce down quite a bit as they cook and you can add more into the pan as needed. They are ready when slightly wilted and not too tough for you to eat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your self-care!

If you have any tasty recipes you consider part of your self-care, please share (and send the final product to me for testing).